Does having multiple partners weaken the benefits of facultative mutualism? A test with cacti and cactus‐tending ants

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Nectar- and pollen-gathering Cephalotes ants provide no protection against herbivory: a new manipulative experiment to test ant protective capabilities (2010, background): “Co-occurrence, diversity and specialisation are common processes in ant–plant associations, with great impact in the whole community due its vertical and horizontal effects in the trophic chans (Davidson and McKey 1993; Bluthgen et al. 2004; Miller 2007).”
Impacts of insect herbivory on cactus population dynamics: experimental demography across an environmental gradient (2009, background): “The dynamics of tree cholla–cactus bug interactions have been intensively studied (Miller et al. 2006, Miller 2007a, 2008), and damage by this herbivore is known to induce floral abortions (Miller et al. 2008).”
Emergent Impacts of Ant and Spider Interactions: Herbivory Reduction in a Tropical Savanna Tree (2012, background): “Visitation of EFN-bearing plants by multiple ant species that vary in antiherbivore abilities might result in lower antiherbivore benefits when compared with an exclusive association with a high quality mutualist (Mody & Linsenmair 2004, Miller 2007).”